1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a pallet and a pallet support thereof and, more particularly, to a pallet and a pallet support constructed of paper material.
2. Description of the Related Art
Pallets are commonly used as material-handling equipment for industrial usage, as they are able to carry objects easily and can be used with a forklift truck for mass transportation. Therefore, the pallet has become commonplace in material handling. Presently, pallets are commonly made from wooden materials, but it has many disadvantages. Pallets which are made from wooden material are heavy, are costly, and can deteriorate easily after the pallet base comes into contact with water.
There exist pallets or pallet support structures in the prior art. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,438,342 has disclosed a pallet support formed of a high impact plastic and which includes an outer wall member and an inner wall member. The outer wall member includes an upper laterally rib-shaped extending structure to enhance the supporting strength. However, these materials are made of plastic, which make it difficult for the processes of recovery, recycle, and reuse and which has negative impacts on the preservation of the environment.
In order to comply with the trend of environmental conservation and to achieve cost reduction, paper pallet related products have been invented. As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,357,364 has disclosed a paper pallet which comprises a top pad and several long strip-shaped supporting blocks to be positioned under the top pad. The supporting blocks are of a honeycomb configuration arranged by paper boards. However, the supporting material is made from paper and therefore, cannot prevent the paper pallet from corroding after it comes in contact with water. Also, the long strip-shaped support block only allows the forks of the forklift truck to enter from a specific direction, and the design does not allow entry from every direction.
Thus, it is essential to present a pallet support which is cost effective, environmental friendly, and convenient and which resolves the problems that have not been dealt with in the prior art.